Oh yes, and almost forgot this one:
According to the American Canine Temperament Testing Association, 95%of the American Pit Bull Terriers that took its temperament test passed, compared to a 77% passing rate for all breeds on average. Furthermore, APBTs had a passing rate that was the fourth highest of all 122 breeds tested. So, according to unbiased facts, this breed of dog is less likely to bite or attack unprovoked than a golden retriever. Don't believe me? Look it up for yourself.
http://www.atts.org/stats1.html The website is here for anyone interested in seeing which breeds of dog do well and don't. The only reason there are more deaths from strong dogs like pit bulls and rottweilers is because they are very strong. There are also quite a few deaths occurring from huskies, german shepherds, great danes, and saint bernards, to name a few. It's not because these dogs are mean, it's just numbers. Sooner or later an attack leads to a fatality in any strong breed. And, compared to the sheer amount of pit bulls in the population now, the percentage of them that are biting, attacking, or causing fatalities is infinitesimally small. Oh, not to mention anytime a pit bull mix is reported, or even if its assumed to be mixed with a pit, doesn't have to be proven, they report it as pure pit bull. Nevermind the other breeds which shaped the attitude of the dogs. You hear a lot on the news also because many of these reports tend to air for weeks at a time on every station. A lot of them end up being the same story, but due to human error, names, places, breeds of dog, and events are skewed. So you see five articles in a month's time about pit bulls and think "wow, they're out of control" but what you don't realise is all those reports are the same dog. Please, I beg of you, if you are going to post things about this subject, do yourself and the community a favor and do some research also. You never know how your opinion may change with a little more information. I used to despise pit bulls too, until a friend of mine introduced me to four of his dogs, all of which led happy lives and died of old age, never hurting anyone.
While you all are citing news reports, I am showing actual facts on the breed, and you are completely ignoring it. Yes, it is sad that some dogs attack people, but for every news article you read about a pit bull attack, remember that there will be many more not reported because the dog wasn't one. And of course, with any breed, there are dogs that just aren't right in the head. My boss was attacked by a great dane a few months ago. Why didn't she report it? She didn't want to raise a fuss. Why didn't I report it when a pomeranian attacked me and literally bit off my thumbnail? I was 13, and didn't know any better. I should have reported it. But you know, something tells me that the response from a reporter or police officer may have been more along the lines of laughter than anything serious. Why didn't my brother's friends report it when my mom's labrador jumped out of the car window, ran into their house and attacked their dog on the couch? Or when my friend from high school was attacked by a airedale terrier, requiring stitches in his scalp? They weren't supposed to be those kinds of dogs. Something spooked them. They weren't normally like that. They must have been messed with. Maybe they were sick. People will think of the most off-the-wall excuses for mr. froo-froo, but when it comes to a big, scary looking dog, automatically the news must be written, and the dog must be vicious.